


Let's Fix This

by frapandfurious



Series: you'll make your real friends and set yourselves apart [6]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 04:43:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7560811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frapandfurious/pseuds/frapandfurious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It should be a good day for Hux, but it's ruined when he receives a letter from home. Phasma and Kylo take it upon themselves to make it better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let's Fix This

“That poor stump.”

 

Kylo stopped in his tracks in the hallway as he approached Phasma, who was looking out a window overlooking the grounds to the back of the castle. She had her eccentricities, like him, that’s part of why they got along so well, but he was confused by this new form of greeting.

 

“That…stump? What?”

 

Phasma motioned out the window. Kylo stood beside her to see what the fuss was about.

 

A familiar red-haired figure stood alone on the open lawn. Wand in hand, he was launching spell after spell on a gnarled old stump.

 

“What happened?”

 

“He got a letter from his father,” Phasma said with a sigh.

 

Kylo didn’t know much about Hux’s father, but he always took Hux’s reluctance to talk about him, or the rest of his family for that matter, as a hint that things weren’t good. Considering his own strained relationship with his parents, he knew better than to pry.

 

“Did he say what about?”

 

“Our Hux isn’t much of a sharer, if you haven’t noticed. He doesn’t like to talk about his family. Sometimes he just needs to get it out of his system when it gets to be too much.”

 

“Should we…do something?”

 

“I would strongly advise against going down there right now.”

 

*

 

Not two minutes later, Kylo was walking across the grounds towards Hux. Still up in the window, Phasma had her face in one palm, shaking her head.

 

As Kylo approached, he got a better look at both Hux and his unfortunate target. Chunks of wood were scattered around the stump and more joined them as colored beams continued to smash into it.  For how violent the scene looked, however, Hux was strangely calm. He stood tall and rigid; the only parts of him moving were his wand-arm and his mouth as he mumbled the spells. His other hand was clenched in a tight fist at his side. A few pieces of his hair had fallen out of place but he didn’t seem to have noticed. His eyes were red-rimmed but there were no tears. He was somehow completely composed and utterly furious all at once, and the combined effect was incredibly unsettling.

 

Undeterred, Kylo continued until he was close enough to hear Hux’s muttered words but still out of the line of fire.

 

“Hux.”

 

The assault on the stump continued.

 

“ _HUX._ ”

 

Hux spun to face him, eyes wild and wand still raised. Kylo quickly put his hands up.

 

“Whoa, whoa, hey. It’s just me.”

 

Hux frowned, lowering his wand. A blush began to creep up on his cheeks at being seen like this.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“I could ask you the same. What did that thing ever do to you?”

 

Hux rolled his eyes and glanced over at the mess of splintered wood.

 

“I’ll clean it up.”

 

“Phasma said you got a letter from your father.”

 

Hux’s head whipped back to glare at him. Perhaps that was a bit blunt, Kylo considered after the fact. But he wasn’t afraid. For some reason Hux’s anger seemed directed more at himself than Kylo. Still, he kept his expression calm and curious. He didn’t come down here to fight. He came down here to…well, he wasn’t completely sure why, actually. But it wasn’t to make Hux _more_ upset.

 

Hux’s glare gradually lost its steam and faded into a look of resignation.

 

“Yes. I did.”

 

He wasn’t sure what else to say. This was new territory for them. Ever since the Halloween party two weeks ago he and Hux had been getting along well, for them anyway. He’d seen a lot of Hux’s moods, more than their classmates ever did, certainly, since Hux kept such a tight lid on it all, but he’d never seen him like this.

 

“If you, uh…need to talk about it, I’m…you know. Here.”

 

Hux stared at him like he had slugs coming out of his ears. Kylo shifted awkwardly under his gaze but held his ground. This was what friends did. Even if Hux turned his offer down at least he could say he tried.

 

An invisible barrier seemed to suddenly collapse and all of Hux's frustration came spilling out at once.

 

"I’m doing _exceptionally_ well in my classes, I've been named Slytherin prefect, I even entered _and won_ that damn essay competition over the summer like he wanted, but does he acknowledge that? Of course not, but he takes plenty of time to voice his disappointment that I’m not doing better and doing more! How much time does he think I have? And perhaps if he'd at least acknowledged my birthday it wouldn't have been all bad but he clearly forgot again and it's not like I expected a gift or something but since the letter showed up today of all days I thought _maybe_ that was why he sent it, how stupid of me…”

 

"Wait, Hux hold on..." Kylo tried to interrupt.

 

"What! Can't you see I'm ranting?"

 

"It's your _birthday_?"

 

"Oh. Yes, but that's beside the point..."

 

"Why didn't you say anything?"

 

"It's not that big a deal, I..."

 

"Not that big…it's your _birthday_!"

 

"Yes, we've established that."

 

Kylo huffed. 

 

"Well your dad sounds like a complete tosser. Forget the stupid letter. I have an idea and it's a better way to spend your day than making kindling out of school property."

 

Hux sighed. He wasn't feeling that angry anymore anyway, but was still too wound up to go back to studying. He looked over at what was left of the stump.

 

"...want to help me finish it off?"

 

Kylo smirked.

 

Still hovering in the window, Phasma watched as two beams of magic annihilated the stump, leaving a smoking hole in the ground. In her peripheral she caught the frantic figure of the groundskeeper headed their way. Before he was even close enough to see which students were the culprits, Kylo and Hux fled the scene and were headed inside.

 

Phasma met them in the Great Hall. They were breathless from running and laughing. She smacked them both lightly on the side of the head but was laughing herself.

 

"Don't tell me after six years you finally found your inner troublemaker, Hux darling."

 

"Yes, well, I had help."

 

They laughed even harder, ignoring their classmates’ stares.

 

"So what's this idea of yours, Kylo?" Hux asked when they’d calmed down.

 

"I thought we could go to Hogsmeade."

 

"...."

 

"What?"

 

"That's it? _That's_ your grand plan?"

 

"I like Hogsmeade! And besides that's not the whole plan. The rest is a surprise. Right Phasma?"

 

Without missing a beat, Phasma nodded enthusiastically.

 

"Why are you agreeing, you didn't even know he was thinking about Hogsmeade until just now!"

 

"No time to discuss technicalities, dear, come on."

 

She and Kylo each looped an arm through one of Hux's and dragged him off.

 

*

 

They picked a good day to go, it turned out. There was a Quidditch match that afternoon and most of the students were there, and it wasn’t close enough to Christmas to be crowded with shoppers, so the little town was quiet. The trio was bundled up in scarves and gloves and hats against the November chill. They made Hux wear extra layers as he got the coldest quickest.

 

Phasma led the way, as Kylo did not in fact have a plan beyond “go to Hogsmeade” and Hux was impartial about the whole thing.

 

Their first stop was Honeydukes, where they spent a good half hour. Phasma filled a bag mainly with chocolatey things, as usual. Her favorites were the chocolate cauldrons. Kylo got himself some fizzing whizzbees and spent half their stroll through the village walking a few inches off the ground; he tried to get Hux to eat one but Hux refused, sticking to his toffee.

 

At Hux’s request they stopped at Tomes and Scrolls where Phasma and Kylo bought him a book he kept glancing at, though they vehemently denied it was a birthday gift. They made their obligatory stop into the Three Broomsticks for a warm butterbeer. Hux and Phasma had to practically drag Kylo away from a window displaying the newest broom models.

 

“What are you gonna use it for?” Phasma teased, “You got kicked off the team!”

 

Kylo responded by snatching her bag of candy and making a run for it. Phasma chased after him, threatening to cut his hair when she caught him. Hux followed at a leisurely pace, eating his candy and allowing himself a little amusement at his friends’ antics.

 

The chase ended when Phasma skidded to a halt in front of one of the buildings. Kylo noticed and backtracked. Hux caught up with them.

 

“What is it?”

 

Phasma pointed to just in front of the building where there was a photo booth.

 

“I’ve never seen that before,” Kylo said. “Is it new?”

 

“Who cares, we’re doing it!”

 

Hux nearly choked on a piece of toffee.

 

“No! Absolutely not.”

 

It was too late; Phasma had them both by the hand and was pulling them behind the curtain and into the cramped box. There was a small bench for them to sit on and opposite it was a camera. Below the camera was a slot for coins and above it was a little circle with the words “Look Here!” etched around it. She positioned Hux in the middle, “because it’s your birthday whether you like it or not”, and pulled Kylo’s arm over Hux’s shoulders. She put her own arm around his waist. When she caught the looks on their faces, she tutted at them disappointedly.

 

“That won’t do. Smile or I’ll curse you both so your faces stay stuck like that.”

 

The boys sighed in unison. Kylo put on a lopsided but genuine half-smile; Hux’s was more of a smirk but Phasma would take what she could get. She slid some coins into the slot below the camera and a voice began to count down from ten. As it neared one, Phasma tightened her grip on Hux and pressed in close, grinning. Kylo pushed in closer, too, in order to escape the cold air blowing in from outside the curtain. Hux was sandwiched between them. For the first time all day he didn’t feel cold, or angry at his father, or frustrated with his progress at school. He was a little uncomfortable about having his picture taken, but otherwise he felt…good. His mouth slowly curved up and by the time the flash went off, he was smiling fully.

 

They sat in comfortable silence in the warm booth as their picture developed, Phasma’s head pillowed on top of Hux’s and Kylo leaning lazily against his shoulder. When the picture popped out, Hux took it carefully and held it up for them to see.

 

Their moving images smiled back at him. The camera had captured the moment right when Phasma and Kylo had squeezed in closer and Hux’s smile had broadened. They looked good, and they looked happy. Hux thought back to some of the stiff family portraits he’d had to sit through. He never looked happy in those.

 

Kylo and Phasma looked from the photo up to Hux, who was staring at it with a soft reverence on his face. The same thought passed wordlessly between them.

 

“You should keep it,” Kylo said.

 

“What? Oh, no, Phasma was the one who wanted it. And paid for it.”

 

“Consider it a not-birthday present,” Phasma countered. “I _want_ you to have it. Please?”

 

Hux looked at the picture again.

 

“Okay.”

 

By then it was dark so they made their way back to the castle. As soon as Hux returned to his dorm, he placed the photo near the head of his bed, where it would remain for the rest of his time at Hogwarts.

**Author's Note:**

> Come visit us on tumblr! [fandomfix](http://fandomfix8.tumblr.com/) and [frapandfurious](http://obsessions-and-dreams.tumblr.com/)
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> ( [x](http://obsessions-and-dreams.tumblr.com/post/147915056405/finally-got-around-to-drawing-something-of-my-and) )


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